'Beauty in the bath' murderer to appeal

A former businessman who is serving a life sentence for strangling his lover
who became known as the "beauty in the bath" is planning a new
appeal, his lawyer has confirmed.

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Susan and John Taft on their wedding dayPhoto: PA

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Cynthia BolshawPhoto: PA

7:00AM GMT 05 Nov 2009

John Taft, the managing director of a double glazing firm in Wirral, Merseyside, was jailed for life for the murder of beauty consultant Cynthia Bolshaw.

The case was dubbed the ''Beauty in the Bath'' affair after divorcee Mrs Bolshaw, 50, was found naked and face down in the bath at her detached bungalow in Heswall, Wirral.

Mrs Bolshaw kept diaries containing the names of up to 200 men, Taft's trial at Liverpool Crown Court in November 1999 heard.

Hundreds of men were DNA-tested after advances in forensic science techniques led police to reopen the case.

Taft, now aged 58, admitted he had been with her on the night she died, October 9 1983, but has always maintained his innocence of her murder.

His campaign for a re-trial is supported by his second wife Susan, to whom he had only been married 19 days when police arrived at their house to question him over the death of Mrs Bolshaw.

His solicitor, David Kirwan, claimed police forensic files into the murder, which had been thought lost at the time of Taft's trial, have been found by the Forensic Science Service and handed over to the defence team.

Mr Kirwan said: "These documents which have very recently been disclosed to us have the potential to raise enormous questions about the conduct of the police investigation.

"Mr Taft has always maintained his innocence, in fact he would have won his parole by now had it not been for the fact that he is determined to clear his name."

Mr Kirwan said the most crucial discovery in the recovered forensic files relates to evidence about the time of Mrs Bolshaw's death.

Taft's trial heard she died at 10.30pm, when he admitted he was at her bungalow in Heswall.

But among the files are suggestions by police experts that she may have died some time around 4am on the following morning - long after Taft had departed.

Mr Kirwan said he hoped to be able to seek leave to appeal against Taft's conviction ''within months''.

"Fundamental mistakes were made both before and during the trial which meant that a lot of vital evidence was simply not presented to the jury.

"Having reviewed the case, it is clear that the police, lawyers and forensic science teams were responsible for a catalogue of blunders which may have led to the conviction of an innocent man."